Hallmarks of Houston takeover aren’t guaranteed for Memphis schools
Left, Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles speaks to parents and members of the community. Right, the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board of Education buidling. (Karen Warren, Patrick Lantrip/Houston Chronicle via AP file, The Daily Memphian file)
Long frustrated with his city’s test scores, Memphis Republican state Rep. Mark White proposed the Tennessee Legislature follow in Texas’ footsteps and model a takeover of its own largest school system after changes in Houston.
The subject of legislative debate for more than a year, the Memphis takeover passed with Tennessee Republican support in April, days after a small committee of lawmakers settled on the details.
For the takeover to end, Memphis has to improve on a mix of attendance and academic accountability metrics. Those improvements have to be significant enough that Memphis-Shelby County Schools disqualifies itself from a takeover under the same thresholds that currently make it eligible.
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Memphis-Shelby County Schools Tennessee General AssemblyLaura Testino
Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter on The Daily Memphian’s metro team who writes most often about how education policies shape the lives of children and families. She regularly contributes to coverage of breaking news events and actions of the Tennessee General Assembly. Testino’s journalism career in Memphis began six years ago at The Commercial Appeal, where she began chronicling learning disruptions associated with the pandemic, and continued with Chalkbeat, where she dug into education administration in Memphis. Her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, The Times-Picayune, The Tuscaloosa News and USA Today. Reach Laura with questions, story ideas or tips: Ltestino@dailymemphian.com or Ldtestino.54 on Signal.
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